Labyrinthed Away
by Othellia
Summary: Sarah thought her days of the Labyrinth were through, but when a jealous Japanese spirit wishes away the child of her rival to the Goblin King, it's up to Sarah and Chihiro to set things right. A Labyrinth/Spirited Away crossover.
1. Prologue: Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own either Labyrinth or Spirited Away. Iroko and Hokusen are of my creation though…

**A/N:** Welcome to my first ever Labyrinth/Spirited Away crossover fic. One of the hardest things about writing this fic was the decision about whether to put it in the Labyrinth or the Spirited Away section. I've woven the worlds together pretty tightly, and the two will share a lot of screentime. However, because the Labyrinth will figure highly in the story after the first initial chapters, I have decided to put it into the Labyrinth section. So, there aren't any Labyrinth characters in the prologue, but hopefully it's still enjoyable, and you'll continue on and read the rest. :D

If you have not seen Spirited Away and do not understand the beginning, you have two options. You can…

1. ... see Spirited Away. It's an awesome movie by Hayao Miyazaki with many elements similar to the Labyrinth.

2. … pretend the bathhouse is like confusing fae politics. There have already been a ton of fanfics like that, so hopefully this won't be _that_ strange.

* * *

The bathhouse was ablaze in Yubaba's fury. At the gate, customers were being turned away by the dozens, and inside, workers kept bringing their mistress calming draughts up from the kitchens.

"I told you not to bring me any more of these useless things!" Yubaba yelled as she grabbed a flask from a nearby employee and flung it across the room. It shattered loudly against the expensive wallpaper. "Do you all want to be turned into pigs?"

The workers all swallowed nervously and looked at each other. Ever since Master Haku had regained his name and freedom, there was no one who could stand up to Yubaba in her rages. Perhaps Boh could, but if Boh was here, then Yubaba wouldn't have needed calming down.

"Oh, my poor baby! It's all that wretched Hokusen's fault. She'll regret the day she messed with me and my family. Meanwhile, let no one in. Everyone is to direct their full attention-"

"Yubaba-sama?"

All the workers stared at the speaker. It was a young apprentice cook, not even in his second year of working at the bathhouse. Was he insane? No one ever interrupted Yubaba. She would have his head for this. As Yubaba turned towards him, the cook paled. He forced himself to speak.

"It's just that you're playing into her hands by doing this," the cook said. Yubaba slowly walked over to him until her face was only centimeters from his. The cook gulped. "She wants you to close down the bathhouse until you get your son back. If your guests can't come here, then they'll go to her. She's trying to make you go out of business."

Yubaba looked him in the eyes for a very long time before moving away. She was still very tense, but the fire was slowly going out of her. Objects started putting themselves away as Yubaba straightened up the room with a wave of her hand. She sat down behind her desk, and turned towards the cook again.

"And if so, what would you have me do?"

The cook licked the bottom of his mouth nervously. "Open up the bathhouse. Continue making money. Find someone who can enter…" He trailed off and looked down at his webbed feet.

"Someone who can enter _his_ kingdom in the West? That twisted labyrinth only open to its natives and… humans? And where do you suppose we find a human gullible enough to trick, yet intelligent enough to get my baby back?" Yubaba leaned forward over the desk, smiling coldly.

The cook was a nervous wreck by now. He wrung his hands, scuffed the carpet with his feet, and had a terrible stutter. Still he managed to say, "There is one. I've overheard servants talking about her. Eight years ago… a girl called… Sen?"

There was a collective gasp. All the other workers in the room were dismayed. Just when things had been looking up for the cook, he mentioned the forbidden name. Worse, he told Yubaba that he had heard it from them. They started to inch backwards for the door…

"Very well."

Everyone froze.

"W-what did you say?" the cook asked.

Yubaba ignored him. "That human is perfect for the job. Pity I erased her memories after she returned to the human realm. Still, they'll come back soon enough. All she needs is someone to go over and fetch her."

"Go over?" The cook's face turned from pale green to white.

"Of course," Yubaba said. "With her memories gone, she won't come back here by herself. And who better to bring her over than the person who remembered her?"

"Go over?" he repeated in a high voice.

"You heard me. You're dismissed and have my permission to leave the bathhouse to find Sen. Now all of you get out, and don't return until you have my baby back. And tell the gateworkers to let the customers back in. At the very least that Hokusen won't have _them_."

The cook didn't seem to be registering anything, so a couple of the other workers helped carry him back down to the kitchens. In them the noise was deafening and there was barely an inch to stand, but even that didn't shake the young cook from his trance.

"Hey! I just heard they started letting the customers back in! What happened up there? And what's wrong with Iroko? You frogs have always been a bit peakish, but he looks terrible!"

Of the other cooks swiped at the serving girl with his ladle. "Back off Lin. He has enough to deal with without you. Yubaba's just ordered him to get back Sen, from the human realm."

"The _human_ realm?! But without a shrine to tie him there he'll die!"

"You think Iroko doesn't know that? Now run off. We never liked your type in the kitchens," the cook said. He pushed passed Lin and ladled some soup from a large kettle into a small bowl. He shoved it in Iroko's face. "Here. Drink." He turned back to Lin. "Why are you still here?"

"I need lunch for the soot sprites. Everyone forgot them in this madness," she said, shrugging. "And Kamaji's spell only does so much."

The cook scowled but yelled for some soot sprite candies. "If he can make the soot work for him, why doesn't he bewitch the coal?" Another cook passed the basket of candies to him, and he turned it over to Lin. She held on to it with her arm outstretched. The cook stared at her. "What?"

"You frogs really are heartless," she said. Lin brought her arm down and left the kitchen.

Iroko started coughing in the corner. A couple cooks hovered around him, offering soups that increased stamina and brought green back to a face. Iroko shook his head and pushed the bowls away.

"I'm fine now," he said. "Besides, there's no use in wasting good soup on the soon dead."

* * *

Iroko left that very afternoon. Yubaba would only force him to go if he waited. The mouth of the tunnel to the human world gaped ominously in front of him. Perhaps it would be easier if he closed his eyes. He took a step forward…

A sharp tingling shot up his leg. Iroko croaked in terror and broke into a run. Each step tingled and shocked more than the last, but he knew if he stopped, he wouldn't find the courage to go on again. At last he burst back into the light… and into a small forest in the human realm.

The stink was incredible, (Iroko had to cover his nose for a few seconds until he had adjusted to the smell better), but it just so happened that the stink was going to be what helped him. Unlike human smells, spirit smells never completely wore off. As long as he could smell a bit of spirit within the human stink, Iroko knew he was close to finding the girl.

There!

He followed the smell out of the forest and up a large hill. There were humans nearby, but he was invisible, and humans never actually _looked_ anyway. Sen wouldn't be able to see either, but hopefully she would be able to sense him.

The smell led him through the walls of a blue house and into what was almost a perfectly normal Japanese bedroom. The only difference between it and the billions of other bedrooms in the human realm was that it was steeped in spirit smells. Iroko highly doubted that the smell on Sen would be this strong after all the years, so he figured that she must have spent a lot of time in this room, from the day she returned from the spirit realm up until…

Iroko frowned and sniffed the air. Sen had surely spent a lot of time here, but there wasn't anything that smelled newer than a month old. Could she have moved? He leaned over a nearby book and sniffed it. No… the items in the room were still hers. So where could she be?

He used some of his energy to partially materialize himself. There had to be something. He flipped through her drawers, her desk, even her trash, for clues. Iroko did not just give up over one hundred years of his life for nothing. Finally he found a small calendar on the wall. He didn't understand most of it, but the last note caught his attention.

Scribbled in about a month ago was a small memo that said, "9PM flight. Losanzelusu."

* * *

**A/N, Part 2:** Hi again. Just a few things before you head out of the prologue and into the main chapter.

1. Haku will probably not be making an appearance in this fic. If he does, it will be a minor role. It's one of the reasons I put this into the Labyrinth section.

2. Sarah will be making her appearance in the next chapter. So will some other members of the Labyrinth.

3. A few things on the Japanese terms and names I used. Boh is Yubaba's baby. I'm not sure whether that was said in the English version. Hokusen is written with the characters for 'north' and 'spring.' Perhaps that will tell you why she's a rival with Yubaba if you haven't figured out already. Iroko is a name I threw together with the characters for 'color' and 'child.' It doesn't have much significance really… Losanzelusu is the Japanese phonetic equivalent of an English place.

4. Miyazaki has stated that Chihiro has forgotten everything that happened to her in the Spirit World. I'm writing this story in that vein.

5. Read and review? :D


	2. Prologue: Part 2

A/N: Yay. Sarah makes her appearance! :D Also, Labyrinth and Spirited Away does not belong to me.

* * *

Sarah Williams had known that she was going to go to the University of Southern California for a long time. It had a pretty good theater program, and her father was an alumni. It also was down in the south, so she never had to worry about freezing to death in the winter months. Overall, being in downtown Los Angeles always made her feel like she was at the hub of the world. The only thing that would make it better would be if her roommate lightened up a bit.

The Ogino girl was nice, but she never talked to Sarah for more than a couple minutes at a time. Even then the conversations consisted of mostly pleasantries: the weather, their health, etc... Ogino also had an unsettling habit of staring at the mirror Sarah used to talk to her friends with, but she'd never say a word. Sarah preferred not to ask.

Ogino wasn't going to be back for a while, so Sarah sat down next to her mirror and brushed the hair out of her face. "Hoggle," she said quietly. "I need you."

It took longer than normal for his image to materialize, and when it did Sarah gasped. He did not look good at all. His hair was a mess, sticking out every which way, and his shirt was on backwards. As Sarah stared at him, she realized that he was breathing heavily as well.

"Hoggle? What's going on?" she asked quickly. Sarah took a deep breath. "Has _he_ been punishing you for something?" She didn't dare to say the name out loud. It had been over three years since their last confrontation. He had no power over her, but she still didn't want to take chances.

Hoggle shook his head and smiled tiredly. "No, it's just a… well… it's nothing you should worry about."

Sarah frowned and drummed her fingers on her desk. "Hoggle…"

He took one look at Sarah and sighed. "It's a new arrival," he said. "A big one."

Sarah's frowned deepened. Every so often a baby would be wished into the Labyrinth, but she had never seen Hoggle so frazzled over one. It was about time.

"So," Sarah said, thinking carefully as she spoke. "Is the wisher running the Labyrinth? Is that why you look exhausted? Are you helping them?" Although Sarah was proud of the fact that she remained the sole conqueror of the Labyrinth, she would be more than happy to surrender that title to see that smirk wiped off his face again. Hoggle's voice brought her back to her senses.

"No, it's not that," Hoggle said. "It's… it's a spirit baby." He grimaced as he said it.

"A spirit baby?" Sarah asked. She sat up in her chair and leaned forward. "Spirits can have babies? Is it like a ghost?"

Hoggle shook his head. He really did look exhausted. "It's very real and very… very large," he said, shuddering. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide and he stared at Sarah shrewdly. "Wait a second... Don't you go asking me about him no more! I can tell you human stuff since you're a human and all, but this is strictly spirit business."

Sarah ignored the insult for the time being. "But if it's a spirit baby, then his parents should be spirits... Surely his parents would know enough about the Labyrinth to want him back." Sarah paused. "Or are there poor unappreciated babysitting teenage spirits as well?" she said, teasing.

Hoggle crossed his arms over his chest and sniffed. "I told you. I'm not telling you nothing."

"Hoggle…" Sarah said. She clasped her hands in front of herself and put on her best pouting face.

"Oh… I..." Hoggle looked like he was going to cave in but turned away at the last second. "I said no, and I mean no. I'm sorry, Sarah." The image on the mirror vanished.

Sarah slapped the top of her desk, and had to bite her lip from yelling, "It's not fair!" Besides. There was still homework to be done after all. Putting thoughts of spirit babies out of head, Sarah grabbed her geometry textbook from underneath her bed and went to work.

The wall clock read 8:17 when Ogino came home. The Japanese girl took off her shoes at the entrance, staring at the desk mirror. Sarah smiled and waved her pencil. Ogino looked down and started to walk to her room.

"Wait," Sarah said, leaning back and swiveling around in her chair. "You... wouldn't happen to know anything about spirit babies, would you?"

Sarah meant it as a joke, but Ogino stopped and seemed to think about the question.

"I don't think so," she said at last in her usual Japanese accent. "But…" She trailed off and touched the sparkling hair band that she always wore. "They seem like they'd be very large."

* * *

Why had he opened his mouth back then? Iroko's life would have been so much nicer if he had just stayed quiet. Even if the bathhouse had gone out of business, he could have found employment somewhere else. But it was pointless thinking about that now down here in the boiler room.

Iroko had returned to the spirit realm with his new information, but Yubaba was still refusing to see anyone until Boh was rescued. The serving girl, Lin, was more than happy to talk though, so she had dragged him down to this strange place.

"Sen and I go way back," Lin was saying. She pulled out some blankets and tossed them on the floor. "Go on. Sit! I can't imagine what it'd be like to go the human realm." She rummaged through her pockets. "Hmm… don't have anything on me right now. Want some soot sprite candy?"

Iroko looked at the basket it was kept in and shook his head. He felt extremely tired now that he was back. And Lin seemed louder than anyone had a right to be.

"Hey, don't go to sleep!" she snapped. Lin knelt down and shook him. "You can't go to sleep right after you get back from the human realm; what if you don't wake up?" She looked over her shoulder. "Kamaji! Do you have any medicine to keep him awake?"

"Eh?" Kamaji looked over at the two as he worked the boiler. "Oh, yes. Just move left there." His arm went past Lin to open up the drawer behind her. He took out some reddish herbs and dropped them in her hands. "Brew these into a tea. There's a pot over here to my right. Just dump out the sake first."

Lin nodded and got work. Iroko watched bleakly.

"So. What did you find?" Lin asked Iroko as she gave the pot to Kamaji to boil. "Do you know where she went?"

"Sen wrote something about a flight to Losanzelusu," he said. "I have no idea where it is though, so I was hoping that Yubaba-"

"_That_ old witch? You're not getting a thing out of her," Lin said. Kamaji passed her back the pot, and she poured some tea into a cup. "Here. Blow on it first."

"Thank you," Iroko said.

"As I was saying, Yubaba won't help you. Kamaji knows his share of places though." She smiled. "Kamaji! Ever heard of a place called Losanzelusu?"

Kamaji laughed gruffly. "I know it." He stroked his mustache with one of his free hands. "Although... it's pronounced Los Angeles, and it's one of the largest human cities in America."

"America?!" Lin yelled. "You mean the _West_? Why would Sen be there?"

Kamaji shrugged. "Who knows? It's not like she's restricted to a bathhouse," he said. "But it does complicate things."

"Complicated?" Lin said sarcastically. "That's the understatement of the year. There's no way Iroko can get to West and still be alive to find her."

Iroko grimaced. "I'd prefer if you didn't remind me of that." He pulled one of the blankets over himself.

Kamaji scratched his head. "Well, there is a way. I've heard very powerful magicians can transport people over long distances."

"Yeah," Lin said. "But Yubaba's not going to help him. Maybe Haku could have, but he left a long time ago."

"Not them," Kamaji said. "Yubaba's sister, Zeniba."

Lin stared at him for a few seconds, then shook her head. "Forget it, old man. It will never work. The only way to get to her house is by the train, and you gave your last tickets to Sen. He could walk, but that could take days, maybe weeks." She gave Iroko a quick frown. "Frogs have never been the healthiest."

"Better a frog spirit than a random serving nymph," Iroko muttered. He groaned and stood up shakily despite Lin's protests. "And a trip across the countryside can't be worse than going to the human realm."

"But…" Lin trailed off. She looked at Iroko for several seconds before turning away. "Just hurry. I'd feeling better if I was going with you, but you're the only one Yubaba has given permission to leave the bathhouse."

Iroko nodded. "I'll leave right away. However…" He took a glance at the teapot that Lin was still holding. "It wouldn't be too much to have one more cup of tea before I go, would it?"

* * *

Chihiro flopped on her bed and sighed. Why was her roommate so strange? Chihiro's friends and the students in her classes were all extremely nice and pleasant, but Williams was of a different breed. Just being around her made Chihiro feel queasy, like there was something seriously wrong with her stomach and her brain at the same time. She didn't know how to explain it. Only…

She reached back and took off the band that held her ponytail up. It sparkled as Chihiro examined it in the light. She sighed. The feelings she got from Williams were very similar to the feelings she got from her hair band. The only difference was that her hair band seemed comforting while Williams was confusing, even a bit frightening. And there was also that question Williams had asked tonight.

Spirit babies… The question was ridiculous, but the more Chihiro thought about it, the more her head hurt. Getting feelings from a hair band was also ridiculous, but Chihiro had long since ignored that fact. She swallowed a frustrated growl and clung onto a nearby pillow.

There was only one solution. Chihiro would have to take a trip to the school library tomorrow. Even if she couldn't find anything about spirit babies, perhaps there would be something to explain her headache.

* * *

Sarah Williams tried getting through to Hoggle several more times that night, but either he was busy or refused to answer. Her calls to Ludo and Sir Didymus worked, but they only talked long enough to tell Sarah that they too had sworn a vow of sacred silence. Or at least Sir Didymus had said that. Ludo only shook his head.

"Sowwy, Sawah." And then he was gone too.

Sarah bit her lip and swiveled around in her chair. Spirit babies… Faerie babies… Goblin babes. She felt slightly guilty, but she couldn't obey her friends and just let this one slide. Besides, they never said she couldn't figure it out on her own, just that they couldn't tell her.

Sarah smiled. What she was looking for could be hidden right under her nose for all she knew. Tomorrow, she'd have to visit the school library.

* * *

**A/N:** Points of view are steadily increasing. Hopefully it's starting to become a bit clearer.

Why the University of Southern California? It's in a large city and on the west coast, so it'd be more probable for a Japanese transfer student to go there than somewhere on the east coast. The school itself is large, so it'd have a theatre department for Sarah, and a ton of different departments for Chihiro.

Chihiro doesn't really have a major in this story because it's not relevant to the plot. I have a feeling it'd be some kind of history…

Oh, and because Labyrinth takes place in the 80's and Spirited Away takes place fairly recently, I've compromised the two. So… this story floats somewhere in a timeframe between the two.

If you either like or hate the story so far, please leave a review! :D


	3. Prologue: Part 3

A/N: Sorry about the lack of updates. Hectic summer. To make up for it, this chapter is longer than the other two chapters combined. Also, there may be a few grammatical errors. It took me such a long time to work this chapter out that I just wanted to get it out here already. I'll be making little edits to this chapter throughout this week.

EDIT: Went through and made some minor changes/grammatical fixes. Nothing really plot important.

* * *

The spirit world was a lot bigger than Iroko had thought. He had been following the train tracks for about two weeks, not daring to venture off them to take a rest at the many small towns along the way. Who knew if he would ever find his way back? In the spirit world, there were a lot of things worse than the bathhouse and Yubaba's fury.

Still, his resolution had left him starving and thin. His skin drooped off his light bones, and his sandals had frayed and broken ages ago. If only it had rained recently… then he could have swam the whole way instead of trudging along like a common land spirit.

The only other spirits he came into contact with were at the stations. Even then, most kept to themselves and refused to acknowledge his presence. Perhaps they thought he was trying to steal their tickets. Iroko didn't blame them. However, every once in a while someone threw away a small fish or other snack, only half eaten before the train came with its "No Food" rules. They were a delicacy on the tracks.

On the fifteenth day, Iroko noticed that the ground was getting slightly softer, a great relief for his blistered feet. The mud started to squelch beneath his feet. The warmed up and grew humid. Rolling fields gave way to tree-smothered swamp. The insects soon swarmed around him.

Iroko singled out a nearby fly and caught it with his tongue. He swallowed, smiling. Delicious.

This was the place to live. Although he had only once heard of this Zeniba before Kamaji and Lin explained in depth, he had to admire her choice of living space.

"Ah," Iroko said. He could see the train station up ahead. Zeniba's house had to be close. He ran the last couple feet, splashing through the shallow water of the swamp and collapsed on the station bench. He was here, so surely he could take a little time to relax. Besides, he had to think about what he was going to do next. Iroko closed his eyes. He supposed he should have thought about on the way here, but walking was tiring, and he often had to concentrate to just move one foot forward. And sitting was tiring too, now that he thought about it. Surely it wouldn't hurt to lean back for only a second…

Yubaba was staring him in the face when he woke up.

"Aaaaah!" Iroko screamed and toppled over. "I'm sorry, Yubaba! I didn't mean to rest!" He prostrated himself on the ground. "Please forgive me."

From the ground he heard the old woman laugh, definitely not something Yubaba would have done.

"Can't you even tell the difference between your employer and her sister? Young spirits these days…"

Suddenly, Iroko remembered where he was. "Zeniba?" He shifted his weight and looked up at the strange old woman. She certainly did look a lot like Yubaba, down to the same puffy blue dress, but there was something different about her. Maybe it was the way she stood.

"Call me, Granny," Zeniba said. She waved a finger and suddenly Iroko was standing up again. He hated magic. One finger was all the most powerful magicians needed to completely control someone. "I suppose," she continued, "my sister sent you to me to find Chihiro?"

"Well, not exactly," Iroko said. He sat back down on the train bench and tried to compose himself. His heart was still pounding from the earlier shock. Slowly, Iroko took a deep breath. "I mean, she sent me to find Se- Chihiro, but she didn't tell me to come- Wait? How do you know what I'm doing anyway?"

It was night already, and a squeaky lamppost seemed to be hopping around nearby. From what he could remember lampposts didn't hop, but things differed in the spirit world from place to place. How long had he been asleep? Was he still dreaming?

"News travels fast in the spirit world." She sat down next to Iroko. "Especially with a few paper spies always placed here and there."

"Then why didn't you help me? I was walking along the train tracks these past two weeks! I nearly died."

Zeniba frowned and looked at her hands. She sighed. "I would have liked to help you, but I was busy preparing for your arrival and making this." She pulled out a black beaded bracelet from the folds of her dress. "It's a spirit anchor."

Iroko's eyes widened immensely. "A spirit anchor? Do you know how rare these are? They're like portable shrines. Each one has to be calibrated specifically for-"

He shut up as he remembered Zeniba had been the one to make it. Stupid frog.

"I know. It took me two weeks to finish. You won't get back the time you've already lost, but hopefully this will prevent you from losing more." She smiled as Iroko took the bracelet and tried it on, turning his wrist so that the bracelet reflected the light off the hopping lamppost.

Eventually he put his arm down and bowed his head. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. Now, do you want to get going right away?"

"You can _do_ that?"

"Of course," Zeniba said. She stood up and pulled back her sleeves. The lamppost hopped back a bit to give her room. "Compared to a spirit anchor, making a portal to the human realm is child's play. Though, there are just a few things you should know about the Western King first before you go."

Iroko gulped. He didn't like the sound of this. "Such as?"

"He loves to play games, so never gamble against him because he never loses." Zeniba stared at Iroko and spoke slowly, as if every word was specifically chosen. "Stick with what's easiest. You may have to sacrifice a few things, but it's better than losing it all. He abhors weakness, so don't expect him to show any mercy."

"So just deal with him like I'd deal with your sister."

Zeniba threw her head back and laughed. "I see you don't need my help." She motioned for Iroko to stand up. He did so unsteadily. "And just one more thing. The words Chihiro will need if she wants to save her friend: 'I wish to make a trade with the goblins, right now.' Of course, she has to say it in English if she wants it to work."

"Why Engl-"

"Are you ready?"

Iroko shut up and nodded his head.

Zeniba clapped her hands together, creating a lash of blue sparks. They curled around her hands and flickered the air. The lamppost was hopping back and forth, squeaking loudly over the crackle. She kept pulling and curling until the sparks resembled a very large rope. "When you want to come back say, 'Jan Ken Po!'" Zeniba yelled over the noise.

Iroko was going to ask what Jan Ken Po had to do with portals, but at that moment Zeniba flung the rope forward, the sparks hit his skin, and the world dissolved into color.

* * *

Sarah slammed the book back on the library shelf a little too loudly. The students studying nearby glared at her. She glared back.

The past four weeks had been a waste. She had gone to the library, but it wasn't like USC was famous for its knowledge on spirit babies. Sarah wondered if there was any place at all famous for its knowledge on spirit babies.

Hoggle and her friends in the Labyrinth weren't telling her anything. And the several books she had lent out about faeries and goblins were only there for the literature and creative writing majors, curious on how the stories had evolved throughout the centuries. It wasn't like anyone went through them looking for facts. All in all, they were completely useless. She slumped to the ground, about ready to give up on the whole thing.

It was then that she started hearing voices.

Well, it was actually one voice, but it was loud enough. And it was speaking some sort of Asian language. Japanese?

Sarah stood up and curiously looked around. The voice was pretty loud, so why wasn't anyone shushing or telling it to shut up, unless…

Sarah moved closer against the bookshelf and froze, hoping that whatever it was hadn't seen her yet. It wouldn't do to give herself away too early.

When Sarah had defeated the Labyrinth, she had acquired a few unexpected side effects. One of them was the ability to see things other people could not, namely goblins. She hadn't ever heard of a Japanese goblin, but why should they be restricted to one culture when they had already proved that they could traverse dimensions? But never mind where he was from, Sarah wondered why he was here. She had an ominous feeling that he was somehow related to the spirit baby in the Labyrinth.

She strolled through the library aisles, following the sound of the voice, doing her best to look casual. Feigning ignorance was the key here. Unless this spirit was from the Labyrinth, it would have no idea that Sarah could see and hear it. Perhaps she could gain some info by following it, even if she had no idea what it was saying. After pretending to be interested the sign that marked the beginning of the fiction section, Sarah turned the corner. She gasped.

A strange goblin was making its way down the aisle towards her, constantly muttering in Japanese. That is… if it was even a goblin to begin with. Its face was like a giant frog's with a thin mustache, but that wasn't what was most unusual. Unlike the familiar residents of the Labyrinth, this one wore odd white clothes that, despite their current shabby state, looked as if they had originally been well made. He also had a strange blue hat on that reminded her a bit like the one Link wore in her brother's Zelda games. In general, he carried himself with a certain sense of self-pride. Definitely not something Sarah recalled seeing in the Labyrinth, excluding _him_ of course…

The frog goblin stopped and turned to look at Sarah. It must have heard her gasp. She had to do something quickly, or she'd lose her advantage of surprise. Sarah panicked and turned her attention to the nearest shelf.

"An entire collection of Austen!" Sarah cried out. She pulled out the one she knew best. "And the lady at the counter said Pride and Prejudice was all checked out too!" Sarah faked a smile and cringed as she heard hissing coming from the students in the other aisles. Perhaps she had been a bit too enthusiastic in her performance. It wouldn't be a first.

Sarah flipped open the book and peered out over the top at the goblin. Her acting had worked, and the frog goblin was back to ignoring her. Perfect. She raised the book a little higher up over her face and started to follow it.

They had walked down at least another half aisle when Sarah caught a word of its muttering. "Chihiro."

"Are you looking for Chihiro Ogino?" Sarah blurted out before she thought.

The frog goblin spun around and gaped at Sarah. "Ningenda!"

Shit.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, the air deathly still… then the goblin bolted.

"Hey! Come back!" Sarah yelled running after him. She shoved Pride and Prejudice onto the nearest shelf, mentally apologizing to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. He was heading towards the exit; if she could just cut him off…

A strong hand gripped her shoulder, stopping her in mid-stride. Sarah flinched and slowly turned around.

It was one of the many library volunteers, and he didn't look happy. "No running and shouting in the library. You've already received plenty of warnings today." Sarah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. If hissing and shushing were warnings. But that didn't matter though right now.

"Look, I'm sorry," Sarah said. She tried to back away, but she couldn't shake loose of the volunteer's grasp. "I'm leaving the library right now, so if you'll let me go-"

"No running," he repeated. "And I'll escort you to the exit to make sure you comply." Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but quickly closed it. Arguing would just delay her even more. She sighed and let the volunteer lead her to the exit, the journey painstakingly slow. The goblin could be half way to Mexico by now if he wanted. She tried picking up the pace, but the volunteer held firm.

As soon as they reached the double doors, Sarah shot past them and leapt down the library stairs. But she already knew it was too late, and surely enough the goblin was nowhere in sight. She threw one last glare at the volunteer before he quickly and quietly shut the doors. Always had the studiers best wishes at heart, didn't he. Sarah crossed her arms, sat down at the base of the steps, and thought.

The frog goblin had mentioned her roommate. Or at least Sarah thought it had mentioned her roommate. Ogino was at the apartment right now, since Sarah had agreed to return both of their library books for them. Funny that the two sets were both due on the same day. Funny.

Sarah growled. There was a connection here between the Labyrinth and Ogino that she was missing. And she didn't feel like exposing herself to either the frog or Ogino until she figured it out. She closed her eyes to ignore the students that were casually staring at her as they walked past.

So, a spirit baby showed up in the Labyrinth and the next day the two of them checked out books. The day the books were due, a frog goblin showed up that knew Ogino. Both Ogino and the goblin were Japanese. But… not a goblin though… a spirit! And perhaps that spirit was the parent of the spirit baby. Did it want to run the Labyrinth? No, it had been more than thirteen hours since Hoggle had mentioned the baby. It belonged to the Labyrinth now. Getting the baby back was only a dream now…

Sarah's eyes snapped open.

…but wasn't that what the Labyrinth offered to those foolish enough to wish someone away?

* * *

Chihiro was lying on the couch, tossing an eraser up and down when the something walked through the door. She quickly caught the eraser and spun around, ready to chuck it at the intruder. Maybe it would have worked if it was an ordinary intruder. As it was, the sudden appearance of a frog-like creature startled her, and she dropped the eraser before she even remembered she was holding it.

"Chihiro?" it asked in Japanese.

She took a slow breath. "That's me," she said. For some reason, talking with a strange non-human creature that had just walked through what was supposed to be a locked door wasn't as unnerving as she thought it'd be. For some reason it seemed a little out of breath. Chihiro calmly wondered if it even breathed like humans did.

"My name is Iroko," he said. "A friend of yours is in trouble, and he needs your help! You don't remember him, but you're the only one who can get him back. And there's a strange girl chasing me, who knows about the spirit world. And she knows you! She could endanger us all! You have to wish her away. Perhaps the Labyrinth's king would exchange her with Yubaba's son. All you have to say is-"

"How did I know this friend? Did I use to know you too?" Chihiro asked. Despite the odd willingness of her brain to accept the possible fact that spirit and alternate worlds existed, the situation still made her feel a bit uneasy.

"Well, I didn't know you personally, but you're talked about a lot in the bathhouse. But you wouldn't remember the bathhouse, would you? That complicates things. Keep in mind that I heard this through the other workers, so it might be a little different from what actually happened, but supposedly one day your parents were turned into pigs-"

"Pigs?" she repeated, scrunching her eyebrows. Chihiro fiddled with her hairband as if it would make sense of everything for her.

"- because they had eaten the food of the spirits. So you got a job at the bathhouse until you could find a way to turn them back. And then there was this part with a stink spirit and a demon called No-Face, but they're not that important right now. The point is you made friends with Yubaba's baby, Boh, and he's in trouble. So you have to wish that strange girl away to get her back."

"What will happen to the strange girl then?"

"The Labyrinth is only dangerous for children. She'll be able to handle herself fine."

"Are you sure?" Chihiro asked. While everything about the bathhouse sounded almost… normal, whenever Iroko talked about this _Labyrinth_ it made the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

"Of course," Iroko said, nodding his head vigorously. "Zeniba told me that all you have to say is, 'I wish the goblins would take you away right now," in English. You do know English, don't you?"

"Yes, but…"

"DON'T LISTEN TO A WORD THAT FROG SAYS!"

Chihiro and Iroko jumped as the apartment door slammed open and Williams burst through. She gasped, unable to say more as she tried to catch her breath.

"Chihiro! It's the strange girl! Quick," he said. "You have to wish her away!"

"Williams?" Chihiro asked. Things were starting to get really confusing. She rubbed her temples.

"Don't…" Williams paused once again to breathe. "Don't listen. Don't wish."

"Wish her away! Before she can stop you!"

Listening to two conflicting orders in two different languages about spirit worlds she couldn't remember was too much for Chihiro's brain to keep hold of.

"I wish…" she started in English.

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"I wish you two would both shut up!" Chihiro yelled. She glared at the two of them. "Catch your breath. Drink some water. Then you can explain to me everything from the beginning. I don't want to hear either of your opinions, half-formed from being thrown out as fast as they could because you were both afraid of the other getting to me first." She repeated everything in Japanese, so that Iroko wouldn't miss anything.

Williams and Iroko stared at each other, then broke eye contact as Williams headed over to the sink to pour herself a glass of water. She took off her shoes and sat down next to Chihiro as Iroko took a seat on the floor.

"Iroko," Chihiro said in Japanese. "Can you understand English?"

Iroko frowned and fixed up his hat a bit. "I can, but that doesn't mean that I like it."

"Well, if you want me to rescue Boh, then you better get used to it. Besides, then you can talk with Williams without me having to translate."

"Like I'd want to talk with her." He glared at the girl.

Williams scowled, but didn't say anything. Perhaps her throat was still dry. Chihiro had to know her side of the story too, but that could come later.

"Iroko, can you repeat your story in detail for both Williams and me? And this time can you say it in English?"

The frog spirit muttered a few curses in Japanese that Chihiro didn't bother translating, but proceeded to tell the story in as much detail as possible, from the part when Chihiro's parents were turned into pigs to when Iroko had met with Zeniba in Swamp Bottom. Williams only started to interrupt once, at the part when Zeniba had mentioned that the Labyrinth's king always won, but Chihiro told her to wait her turn. Otherwise they'd both get into an argument over their stories, and Chihiro wasn't sure she'd be able to get them back on track.

Williams turned her attention back to her water glass after that. When Iroko's story was done, Chihiro let out a long breath of air.

She still didn't remember anything about the spirit world or the people she had met there, but they all seemed familiar somehow. Like a tune of a song she had heard a long time ago. Though Chihiro didn't know who this "Boh" was anymore, she felt indebted to save him. The memories of their friendship still lived on in him, even when she had forgotten. And based on the feelings she got whenever she heard the Labyrinth mentioned…

Chihiro inhaled and nodded to herself. "Williams, can I hear your side of the story?" she asked.

Williams glanced around the room for a few seconds before starting. "When I was fifteen and temperamental," she said. "I wished away my brother to the goblins. The Goblin King gave me a choice to either accept my dreams, or run the Labyrinth to win him back. With the help of my friends that I met along the way, I managed to defeat him and get my brother back."

"Defeated the Labyrinth?" Iroko said. "No one's defeated the Labyrinth. We'd know. She's lying to you, Chihiro."

"I'm not lying, you little toad! Want me to wish _you _away?"

"Stop it!" Chihiro yelled. "Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere. Let Williams continue, Iroko." They were both starting to give her a headache.

Williams looked offended, but she continued, telling about how she still kept in contact with her friends and the spirit baby incident that Hoggle had mentioned a couple weeks ago.

"That has to be Boh!" Iroko cried out.

"I think we've established that," Williams said dryly.

"Wish her away," Iroko said in Japanese so that Williams wouldn't be able to understand. "She told you herself that she's beaten the Labyrinth before, so why won't she be able to do it again?"

"I can't understand exactly what you're saying, but it sounds like you're plotting behind my back, little toad," Williams said. Her eyes narrowed.

"I'm not wishing anyone away," Chihiro said. She bit her lip. There had to be some sort of way to rescue Boh without sacrificing a person. Perhaps… "Iroko, you said that the king liked to gamble, right?"

"According to Zeniba, yes, but she also said never to gamble-"

"Because the king of the Labyrinth never loses," Chihiro finished. "But now we know that's not true." She looked at Williams and smiled. Williams raised an eyebrow in return.

"We only have her word for it," Iroko said. "She could be lying for all we know."

"So says the little frog goblin," Williams said. She sighed and turned to Chihiro. "I'll help you, but not for your sake and definitely not for the frog's. I know what it's like to be trapped in the Labyrinth, and I don't want to see your Boh end up as a goblin or whatever he'll turn into from staying there too long." She paused and a wicked grin lit up her face. "In fact, in exchange for doing this, I'll be wanting some compensation from this little frog."

Iroko puffed out his cheeks. "Yubaba was the one who sent me on this mission. Why should I pay you? It's not fair."

"You say that so often. I wonder what your basis for comparison is?" Williams said laughing. Chihiro looked at her in confusion.

"Often? That's the first time I've said it," Iroko said.

"Oh… right. Sorry, I was getting back into the swing of things, and I forgot." Williams blushed. "But I still want something in return. I'm not risking my life for nothing."

"Your life?" Iroko and Chihiro said together.

"Of course," Williams said. She paused for a moment to take a deep breath. "What else are you going to gamble with for Boh's soul aside from me?" Chihiro didn't know what to say and Iroko seemed equally as dumbstruck. Williams plowed on through the silence. "I've started to figure it out. You, Chihiro, will try and gamble with the Goblin King. He probably wouldn't accept a lowly human in return for a spirit, but I'm pretty sure I'm of equal value if not more.

"You'll have to agree to run the Labyrinth. If you win, then we'll get Boh back and no one has to get wished away. Everyone goes home happy except for the king, but he doesn't count anyway. If he wins, then he keeps Boh and… well, I don't want to think about what happens if he wins."

Chihiro shook her head. "But I've never ran the Labyrinth. You'd be better at it than me. Wouldn't we have a better chance if _you_ put yourself or even Iroko up for gamble and ran the Labyrinth?" Chihiro ignored Iroko's cry of protest.

"I thought of that too," Williams said. She stood up and started to pace around the room. "If I try to gamble with him, then he will automatically raise the stakes. Perhaps he'll ask for something else in addition to myself, or maybe he'd refuse to gamble for Boh from the start." She sighed. "The only way we can make this work is to catch him off guard. There's still so much that can go wrong though…" She sharply tapped on the desk's mirror. "Hoggle! I need you!"

Chihiro sat in dazed silence as a short lumpy little man started to materialize in the glass. She felt like giving up right then and there, but figured that she had better pay attention since this whole mess concerned _her_ friend, even if she didn't remember him anymore. She stood up and walked over behind Williams.

"Sarah! How many times must I got to tell you, I can't saying nothing about no spirits," the lumpy little man said.

Williams sat down at the desk and smiled. "You don't have to anymore. Hoggle, let me introduce to you Chihiro Ogino and Iroko." She gave the little man time to take everything in. He puffed out his cheeks as he saw Iroko and grumbled incoherently for a few seconds. "I'm sorry," she said. "But if it's any consolation, Iroko's actually the one who showed himself to me."

"Excuse me?" Iroko said. He pushed up between Chihiro and Williams and stared at Hoggle. "She's the one who sneaked up on me."

"Hoggle," Williams said, ignoring Iroko. The small man was just starting to calm down. "We need to know about how to place a bet with… him."

Hoggle scrunched his eyebrows together. "It's easy really, just like wishing something away. Only you use the word 'challenge' in the wish instead of wanting us to take something away." He leaned closer towards Williams. "What… what you planning on doing anyway?"

"She's going to gamble up herself for Boh," Iroko said bluntly.

"You WHAT?" Chihiro bit her lip. Williams looked ahead, seemingly emotionless. "You can't be serious."

"I'm getting compensation from it," she said.

"I never agreed to…" Iroko trailed off as Chihiro and Williams glared at him. "Oh, all right."

Williams turned back to the mirror. This time she looked really forlorn. "Please, Hoggle. Please let me do this. I don't want any baby, even a spirit baby, to be stuck in the Labyrinth away from its family. And if that means I have to put myself on the line and run the Labyrinth again, so be it."

"I thought I was going to run the Labyrinth," Chihiro said. She couldn't imagine from what she had heard that the king would let two people run together.

"I've been thinking about that too," Williams said. She looked at the Japanese spirit. "Iroko, how did you know how to find Ogino?"

"Well," Iroko said. "I smelled something belonging to the spirit world. Its scent was on the some of the books in the library, but I followed it back here, and then you burst in and tried to kill me…" He trailed off, sniffing the air. Suddenly, he jumped up and down and pointed at the back of Chihiro's head. "It's the hair band! That hair band's from the spirit world! It has magical properties."

"What do you think Hoggle?" Williams asked. "Do you think a magic hair band could be worth an extra runner?"

"Maybe for another human, but not for you," Hoggle said.

Chihiro frowned. The hair band had always been special to her, but magic? It seemed more than that, and she really didn't feel like she should be giving it up so easily. Chihiro felt a bit queasy thinking about it. But if it could help get her friend back…

"Then it's settled," Williams was saying. Chihiro snapped back into reality. She realized absent-mindedly that she had taken her hair band off and had slipped it onto her wrist.

"I still don't like the idea."

"Can you think of a better one, Hoggle?"

He sighed and stayed silent for a long time. "I suppose I should let you go then?" he said at last.

"See you in the Labyrinth," Williams said with a smile.

"I hope you're right." He closed his eyes and vanished instantly.

Williams gazed for several seconds at where Hoggle's reflection had been before giving orders. "The faster we do this, the faster we can run the Labyrinth and rescue Boh," she said. "Chihiro, find me a pen and give me your hand. I have to write out a script for you. Iroko, clean yourself up a bit by the sink. Be ready to tell the Goblin King that you're the sole reason Chihiro knows about the Labyrinth."

"Won't you be there with me?" Chihiro asked. She didn't like the idea of challenging a strange supernatural king by herself, but Williams was already doing so much for her that she didn't feel like she should complain.

Williams found a ballpoint pen on the desk and rolled her eyes. Chihiro stuck out her right hand, and Williams started to write on her palm. "He doesn't like me, so until we get him to agree to our demands, we're going to have to convince him that I have no part in this wager, okay?"

Chihiro tried to swallow her doubts, but it didn't seem to work. They seemed to be caught somewhere in her throat. Chihiro spied William's water glass on kitchen counter, but she couldn't reach it. She had to remind herself again that Boh still needed her help, and he needed her to stay strong, doubts or no doubts. Williams sighed and finished up the last of the lines on Chihiro's hand.

"These are only guidelines, so you'll have to practice the conversation with me until I think you sound natural," Williams said. "Start with the second line."

"Are you the Goblin King?" Chihiro said. She squinted as she tried to make out the pen marks. Williams wasn't the fanciest writer when it came to marking on skin.

"No, no, no," Williams said. She shook her head and put her hands on her waist. "You have to be slightly more disbelieving, almost awed. And a little nervousness is good. If he thinks that you're too confident, then he'll throw something nasty at you. Try it again, like something really important's on the line."

"Something important_ is_ on the line." Chihiro muttered, but she repeated the line. And when Williams was satisfied with it, they moved onto the next line and the line after that. Finally the two got to the last line on Chihiro's hand, and then ran through the whole palm from top to bottom once more just to make sure everything was in order. Williams tested Iroko briefly on what to mention and what to forget. She nodded in approval as he assumed he role with ease.

"I think that's just about it," she said. "I'll be in my room, waiting for my cue. If any of you two mess this up, this Yubaba of yours may very well never see her son again." Williams gave them one last thumbs up, then retreated into her room and shut the door.

Chihiro started to shiver, and it wasn't from the cold.

"Don't worry," Iroko said, standing next to her. "We'll rescue Boh. And maybe by the time we do, you'll have your memories back."

Chihiro nodded and inhaled deeply.

"I wish to challenge the Goblin King," she said. "Right now."

* * *

A/N: Three guesses as to who makes his appearance in the next chapter. No, it's not Didymus. D:

Some little things about this chapter though:

- The reason the wish must be said in English is because in Japanese the subject in a sentence is optional. When Zeniba and Iroko were saying the line in Japanese, they weren't including the "I," therefore the goblins ignored the wish. The line could actually be said in any language really as long as the speaker included the subject.

- "Jan Ken Po" is the Japanese form of "Rock, Paper, Scissors." The main difference between it and "Rock, Paper, Scissors" is that you throw down your hand on the third beat rather than adding a pointless fourth beat. (OMG, I grew up with the Japanese version and always get thrown off by the American version, how could you tell?)

- Yes, I love Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. If anyone has seen the 1995 BBC version, tell me and then we can both proceed to fangirl over it.

- The reason Chihiro's taking everything so calmly, as opposed to her "I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming!" reaction in the movie, is because she's already experienced it before. So, it's kind of like déjà vu. It also fits with the way she naturally trusted Haku in the film.


	4. Prologue: Part 4

**A/N: **Um… Bad news, guys. My computer wouldn't start the other day, and when I took it in to the Apple store, they said my hard drive was failing. It's working now, but it's only a matter of time before it completely dies. I'm trying to look for a new one, but things are a bit busy since I leave for college this week. Also, I made some minor changes to chapter three. Unless you've read it more than once, you probably won't notice anything.

But enough with my complaining. On with the story!

* * *

Chihiro shivered and waited.

And waited.

She glanced at Iroko as he glanced back up at her. Both of them were extremely uneasy. They started to say something, interrupted one another, and both fell silent again. Iroko bent his leg and stretched it out.

"I don't think it worked," Chihiro said, checking the clock on the wall after a few minutes. She double-checked the room with Iroko to make sure there were no goblins before she made up her mind. There weren't any. "Williams! You can come out now."

Chihiro watched her roommate cautiously creep out of her room, as if this goblin delay was on purpose to trick them. After glancing around underneath the couch and behind the desk, Williams sat down on the floor and clenched her hands together.

"What did we do wrong? Do you think he suspects?" Williams asked.

Chihiro thought about it, and then shook her head. "I don't think so. Unless your friend Hoggle told the king…"

Williams glared at her. "He wouldn't."

"Then we must have done something wrong, or Hoggle must have forgotten to tell us something," Chihiro said. She bit her lip. "If only we knew what. It could be anything though. I don't suppose you can call him back on the mirror, could you?"

"If Hoggle didn't mention it, then I don't think he knows. Besides, now that you've said the words, who knows who could be watching? I wouldn't be surprised if they already know I'm involved."

Chihiro shivered at the thought of many little lumpy men staring at her from beyond another dimension. "You don't see anything though?" Chihiro asked. Williams shook her head. "And you don't smell anything?" Iroko shook his head. "Well, then there's no one here so far. Hopefully, no one's watching…" Yet. Chihiro frowned. "There must be something that we missed. Iroko, what else did Yubaba say about the Goblin King? And Williams? Listen to everything he says; maybe you'll get an idea."

"Why's she coming up with all the plans anyway?" Iroko muttered.

"Have you forgotten already that I'm the only one who's beaten him? I'm probably your number one human expert on the Labyrinth. And you can't even set one foot in it," she said with a grin. Iroko scowled.

"All Zeniba told me was that he likes to gamble. He shows no mercy. He likes playing games," Iroko said. He crossed his arms. "And I don't know how any of that will help."

Chihiro agreed with him. She knew plenty of people that fit that description. It he was a normal person, maybe they could bribe him with tickets to Las Vegas, but this was an immortal spirit they were dealing with. Chihiro looked at Iroko and shrugged. Williams however was racking her brains for something. She scrunched up her face and whacked her palm against her head. She drummed her fingers on the floor.

"I got it!" she cried out. "He likes playing games, right?" Chihiro and Iroko slowly nodded their heads. Hopefully her idea was better than Vegas. "So… all we have to do is summon him with a game." Williams laughed. "I think I'm getting back in the hang of this."

It sounded good in theory, but Chihiro imagined trying to summon the Goblin King while playing Monopoly or shogi. _Do not pass 'GO;' for 200 I challenge the Goblin King, right now._ She sighed. "Ah… Williams? I don't think that's going to work. I can't think of a game where-"

Williams was still smiling. "Oh, don't worry. I know the perfect one. And I've still kept it in tiptop condition after all these years." She stood up and went over to her room again. Iroko looked at Chihiro as if he was thinking the same thing she was. Chihiro took the time to grab Williams's old water glass and refill it.

Williams came out again with a large maroon box. She turned it sideways to avoid hitting a lamp, and Chihiro glimpsed the word on the side.

Scrabble.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"No," Williams said. She laughed at Chihiro's dismayed expression. "But we won't get anywhere unless we try. And it's easy, really." She opened up the box and laid out the board on the floor. "Or at least the game is easy. You just start in the middle, and make words out of these little tiles." She held up a little red velvet bag and tossed it to Chihiro.

Chihiro reached inside and examined an 'A' as Williams explained the rest of the rules. The wood tile felt nice and smooth in her hands. The edges were worn down from lots of use.

"Why Scrabble?" Chihiro asked when Williams was done explaining.

"No reason." She smiled once more and withdrew back into her room.

Chihiro and Iroko were left staring at the empty game board. Williams' aloofness was starting to get on her nerves.

"Well," Iroko said. "What are you waiting for? Start putting the pieces down. You already know what you're going to ask."

Chihiro shook the bag again and let the tiles spill out. "There don't seem to be that many of them," she said, staring at them. "We'll have to be careful of what words we use."

"That Western goblin said that we needed to use the word 'challenge,'" Iroko said. He picked through the tiles with a padded hand. "We should put the letters for that word over to the side, just to make sure that we don't accidentally use them." Chihiro nodded and let him sort the pieces.

Finding an 'I' piece, Chihiro took a deep breath and placed it down in the center of the board. At once a cold breeze rushed through the room, making the tiles clatter against each other. Something giggled out of the corner of her eye. Chihiro spun around, but there was nothing there. She shivered.

Something nudged her arm, and she quickly looked down to see Iroko handing her three tiles.

"Don't die on me already," Iroko said. Chihiro forced a smile and placed down a 'W,' 'S,' and 'H.' Two words finished. She looked at the board. The sentence Hoggle told them about was, 'I wish to challenge the Goblin King right now,' however…

Chihiro frowned. "We can't complete the sentence." She couldn't connect 'TO' to 'WISH.' Was it over before it had even really started?

Iroko shook his head. "All that goblin said we needed was the word 'challenge' somewhere. The rest of the sentence can be switched, I think."

"Then how about…" Chihiro paused as she thought the sentence through. Each word had to contain at least one letter of the words before it. "'I wish the Goblin King would… take this… ah… offer of challenge, right now?'"

"Sounds good," Iroko said. He glanced at the board on the ground. "Now all we have to do is spell it." He passed her the tiles for the next word. Chihiro attached them to the end of 'WISH.'

"This would be so much easier if this was in Japanese," Chihiro muttered, placing down 'GOBLIN' and 'KING' so that they both shared the same 'G.' Another thing giggled. It sounded like it came from behind the desk.

"Do they make this game in Japanese?" Iroko asked. He handed her the next four tiles, pausing slightly before looking back down to find the next ones.

"Probably." She looked at the board. So far, so good. "Hand me an 'A,' 'K,' and an 'E.' I'm going branch off right a bit."

"No more 'K' tiles."

"What? We only used one."

"There was only one to start with," Iroko said. "You'll have to use the 'K' in 'KING.'" He passed her the alternate tiles. Chihiro grumbled. It wasn't as easy as Williams had made it out to be. Not only did they have to watch what words they used, but they also had to place them exactly right. The letters were limited indeed. Chihiro was glad that Iroko had thought to put the tiles for 'CHALLENGE' off to the side. If they were to finish the wish, they'd have to think ahead more often from now on.

She noticed that Iroko wasn't handing her any more tiles. "What's-"

"We have to use another word," he said. He was glancing back and forth from the board to the tiles. "We only have one more 'H' tile and that's for 'CHALLENGE.'"

"What? Can't we use it now and then connect 'CHALLENGE' to it?" This was starting to get way too complicated for her liking. Perhaps they should have taken their chances with monopoly.

"We're going to need another 'H' after that though," Iroko said. "Choose a different word for 'this.'"

Chihiro felt like smacking all of the tiles off the board, but that wasn't going to help her. Or Boh. Neither was the omnipresent giggling that seemed to be getting louder, but she could ignore that for now. What other words were there for 'this?' 'The' and 'that' both needed an 'H' tile too…

"Give me an 'A' tile," Chihiro eventually said. She placed it above the 'N' in 'KING.' "My offer might not be as specific as it used to be, but it works." Iroko nodded in approval. Chihiro was just thankful that 'offer' started with a vowel and 'AN' worked.

They got through the rest of the words with less difficulty, only pausing here and there to count out the spaces to the edge of the board or the remaining tiles. After the word 'CHALLENGE' was placed down across from 'WOULD," another slower breeze drifted in. It lazily wove around Chihiro and made the hair rise on the back of her neck. Iroko tapped her on the shoulder and passed her the last six tiles. She looked at what was on the board so far. Only two words remained. She took a deep breath and placed down the 'R.'

'R-I-G-H-T,' she spelled. 'N-O-W.'

At once the lights turned off, and the soft giggles turned into a shrieking cacophony.

* * *

Ruk was pretty intelligent for your average goblin, so as soon as he sensed the first tile clacking on the board in challenge, he stole up to the human realm and started to watch the whole show from behind the desk. With the recent spirit baby fiasco still fresh in the Underground, he could tell that this was going to be good. He giggled as the two figures struggled through the short wish.

When the human girl placed down the last tile, the lights went out and Ruk could feel his brothers coming up from the Underground. Goblin eyes adjusted quicker to the dark than human ones, so he was soon able to make out the various goblins in the room. Prat was over by the couch, taking advantage of its fluffy goodness. Klok was in the kitchen, nicking some human food while he still could. Mingo and Din were trying to scare the human. A few others joined them. They made it a game, to see who could get the closest without chickening out. One even darted forward enough to snag a tile. There was a crash as someone knocked over a glass, and half the goblins in the room burst out laughing. It was all good fun. But, Ruk felt the most comfortable behind his desk and didn't move to join them. He remembered what had happened the last time the goblins were summoned.

At last their king entered, carrying with him his own kind of light source. All the goblins immediately stopped what they were doing and scurried away for cover. Din tried to squeeze in beside Ruk, but the space behind the desk was his. Ruk didn't like having to share. After a quick silent scuffle, he managed to shoo Din away. His space properly defended, Ruk turned his attention back to the show in the center of the room.

The girl looked up at the king and gasped. Ruk almost let out another giggle, but clapped his hands over his mouth just in time. His Majesty didn't like interruptions whenever he was dealing with humans, especially challengers.

Suddenly, Ruk noticed the figure next to the girl, a strange toadish goblin. At least, Ruk thought it was a goblin. It certainly smelled like a goblin, even though it was dressed funny and seemed to be allying itself with a human.

"Are you the Goblin King?" the girl asked.

She was even shivering. This was too much fun. The king didn't say anything, but Ruk imagined that he was basking in the girl's fear like the rest of the Labyrinth residents.

"Please," the girl continued. "I wish to challenge you. I want Boh back." The two stared silently at each other for a few seconds. Ruk wished he had joined Klok in grabbing some food. This would be even more fun to watch with snacks.

"You weren't the person who wished him away," the king said at last, his face expressionless. He circled slowly around the girl and the weird goblin. "You have no right to run my labyrinth, and the price to do so is much higher than you can afford."

The girl bit her lip and wrung her hands together. Poor thing. "Well, just say… if for a second I did have something… If I had something equal to Boh's life, would you accept my challenge?"

The king laughed softly, and the girl tensed. Ruk clenched the side of the desk in excitement. The Labyrinth hadn't had a runner in ages. Not since _her_.

"How is it, by the way, that an Eastern girl and frog come to know so much about my Labyrinth?"

The frog goblin puffed out his cheeks. "Just because you're heartless doesn't mean that all spirits are. Zeniba and Yubaba both love Boh, and we want-"

"Ah, the Eastern Witch Sisters. That_ would _explain," he said. "Well then, if we are indeed speaking in if's, of course you would be welcome to challenge me. But then, _if_ you had something of equal worth, surely you would want to hold on to it rather than gamble it up for the sake of someone else's baby."

"Boh is my friend," the girl said. She took a step back. "And he probably misses his mother. Hokusen had no right to wish him away."

"You'd be surprised," he said smiling. "That witch had every right to wish him away, just like I have the every right to keep him." His smiled faded. "Now get to the point. I get tired of talking in if's. And before you get too dramatic or let your ideas run away with you, let me remind you that a human soul pales in comparison to a spirit's."

"Only one more thing," the girl said. She seemed to ignore the king's last statement. "If I do find something or someone equal to Boh, and you let me challenge you, well… These would be some pretty high things at stake. If this all happened, would you let someone run the labyrinth with me?"

There was a hushed mummer around the room. Ruk was mumbling to himself as well. A rare as runners were, partners were even scarcer. The only incident he could think of was with those Spanish girls a couple hundred years ago. Maria and Isabella? Not like having each other did them much good in the long run. Ruk giggled at his unintentional pun.

"If you mean the frog, then I cannot let you do that. Only humans can run my Labyrinth." The king looked at the Eastern goblin. "Though the fact that he knows so much about the Labyrinth is already astonishing."

"Zeniba, the swamp witch, told me-"

"You've told me before. As much as I don't care for dealing with Eastern spirits, I feel as though a imminent meeting is in order" he said, cutting the frog off with a wave of his hand. The king turned back to the girl. "A partner in the Labyrinth is worth more than you know. The price would be high, though not as high as the initial wager."

The girl nodded slowly. "Then, would this be okay?" she pulled a sparkly band off her wrist. Ruk heard the goblins around the room whisper in awe. He, himself, let out a sigh of contentment. For some reason the sight of the hair band glistening in the light made him feel happy. He wanted to wear it himself.

The king stared at the band for a few seconds before he snatched it out of the girl's hand. It quickly disappeared before Ruk was able to notice where.

"This is acceptable," the king said. "If you are able to find something equal to the challenge, then you will be able to have another human run the Labyrinth with you." He grinned and Ruk realized that the king intended to keep the band regardless of whether the girl was able to challenge him. The girl seemed to realize it to, but the king cut her off before she could protest. "However, it's not like anyone you could find will be of great help. My Labyrinth has never been beaten before."

"Oh really?" said a female's voice from another room. "I guess I must have just imagined beating your Labyrinth then. And it was _so_ fulfilling too." The door by the lamp creaked open, and out walked THE girl. Ruk began to giggle madly. The king looked less than pleased, but Ruk couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun.

* * *

Sarah slouched against her doorframe and smiled at her great foe. To her extreme pleasure, he was looking less than his normal cocky composed self. She laughed.

"Now, now, Goblin King. What's said is said, and surely you wouldn't give up an opportunity like this, with something like me on the line?" she said, batting her eyelashes at him. Sarah couldn't remember if he had ever been off guard like this the last time she ran the Labyrinth. She had to do this more often, even if it meant risking her soul in the bargain.

"You say that you'd sacrifice yourself for the sake of this girl and her friend?" he asked. Something flashed in his eyes, something that Sarah didn't want to think about. Perhaps she wasn't as confident as she had thought. A soul was a lot to offer, especially when it was her own. He turned away from Ogino, and walked towards Sarah. She immediately straightened up and moved into a defensive position - legs braced, hands up. He shook his head. "Still so tense, Sarah."

Sarah glared at him. "You have no power over me."

"Oh, but surely that can change in thirteen hours," he said leaning forward. Sarah felt the heat from his body and unconsciously backed up a step. Oh God. He grinned, tilting his head ever so closer. "Better to get used to me while you still have the chance."

Ogino cleared her throat.

Sarah nearly jumped; she had forgotten that there were others in the room. It seemed like the Goblin King did too. His grin faded and he slowly glanced back at the intruders.

"Then I take it that you accept my offer of challenge with Sarah as my wager?" she asked. Her dark hair looked slightly wild without her hair band to keep it in place, but her jaw was firm. She wasn't someone to be ignored.

He looked at Sarah once more before stepping away. Sarah slowly let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. She started to close her eyes in relief, but quickly opened them again. It was better for him not to see anything. Any weakness at all could be used against her. She stood up straight and walked over to join Iroko and Ogino.

"I accept," he said finally. He raised his eyebrows at the three. "And I take it that you want Sarah to be your partner?"

Ogino nodded. Sarah saw her clutch the bottom of her shirt from the corner of her eye. Poor girl. Sure, Sarah was the one putting herself on the line, but at least she knew something about the Labyrinth. Before today, Ogino didn't remember anything about spirits and goblins, let alone an Underground maze and its twisted king.

"Very well."

The Goblin King turned around, and suddenly they were no longer in their apartment.

Sarah shivered and looked around with dread. She hadn't expected him to send them here so soon, so abruptly. The air scratched her throat as she breathed, and the wind whipped at her face. Sarah wished she had remembered to bring a hair band. She doubted the Goblin King would let her borrow Ogino's. The sky itself was an unsettling shade of orange that made Sarah shiver even more. She glanced around, desperate to look at something else. Behind them the sun was just starting to rise. In front…

"Iroko!" Ogino cried. Sarah turned around to stare at her companions. True enough, the frog was gone. It was 'companion' now. She supposed that Iroko must have been left in the apartment, but one never exactly knew with the Goblin King. Sarah opened her mouth to ask him, but he was already talking.

"You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before… well, I'll let you imagine that yourself, shall I?"

Sarah lunged forward to smack him, but he was already disappearing. By the time her fingers reached his face had been, there was nothing left to hit. She vented her anger by scuffing the ground with her foot, which was when she realized-

"He brought us here without shoes!" Sarah lifted her foot up and brushed the sand off the bottom of her sock. Not like it was going to help much. She'd just have to put her foot back down again if she ever wanted to make it to the center of the Labyrinth.

"It's so big…" Ogino whispered.

Sarah turned on one foot to see Ogino in same position she was in after she had noticed Iroko was gone. The girl simply stared forward, not even blinking. Sarah looked down at Ogino's feet; she didn't even have socks. This was definitely not going to be fun. The Goblin King was doing this on purpose to break them before they even started.

"Don't worry," Sarah said. She clapped Ogino on the shoulder and gazed at the stone walls that seemed to go on for miles and miles. "I've made it through before, so at least we know it's not impossible. And we have thirteen hours. The hardest thing is ignoring your stomach long enough to concentrate near the end." Sarah internally cursed herself for not thinking to shove any granola bars in her pockets earlier. They had plenty enough in the kitchen cabinets. "You'll be fine as long as you don't eat any peaches."

"Peaches?" Ogino snapped out of her trance and raised an eyebrow.

"I'll… um, tell you about it as we walk," Sarah said. She grabbed Ogino's hand and pulled her forward. "And remember to stick together. The Labyrinth likes to confuse and separate people. If we're lucky we'll meet one of my friends at the gate. You've already met Hoggle, and I think you'd like Ludo and Sir Didymus."

But even as she said it, Sarah had a feeling that Hoggle wouldn't be there. No. She knew the Goblin King too well, and he wouldn't let her friends fall as easily into her path this time. Not with what was at stake. She would have to rely on herself more this time, herself and Ogino. Sarah sighed as the sand started to seep into her socks.

The first hour was already ticking.

* * *

A/N: And that's the last of the prologue! Act One will start with the next chapter. I'm not exactly sure when it will be up for reasons stated in the other author's note, but I will be working on, so don't worry.

Did you like Ruk? I'm starting to build up a collection of OC's, aren't I? I was originally going to do the whole thing from Chihiro's POV, but it just wasn't working. Hopefully Ruk's view on things worked with everybody. He may or may not have another viewpoint in the future. Depends on where the story takes me. Oh, and Iroko probably won't be seen for awhile since Jareth just left him sitting in the apartment. After panicking for several seconds, he probably just relaxed and got a drink of water. Other things...

- Yes, Sarah and Chihiro call each other by their last names. They're not too close yet, but maybe that will change in the future.

- Jareth's name is not mentioned, mainly because Sarah tries to think of him as an "it," Chihiro doesn't know his name, and Ruk just refers to him as "the king" out of respect.

- The Scrabble game. Yes, you can write, "I wish the Goblin King would accept an offer of challenge, right now." It fits on the board and follows through with all the scrabble rules and tile limitations. I think… I actually don't have a Scrabble board anymore. And I had to ask my sister whether or not two-letter words are allowed since she's more of a Scrabble freak than I am.

- Oh, and to everyone who's reviewed so far, thank you very much. It's greatly appreciated. :D


End file.
